


A Special Gift

by Astrid_Midnight



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Cloti - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Post-AC, Romance, These two deserve happiness okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23984818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astrid_Midnight/pseuds/Astrid_Midnight
Summary: Tifa wasn't much of a birthday person. But some days turn out to be just that special.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 12
Kudos: 115





	A Special Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Given how I share Tifa’s birthday, I think it was appropriate to write something for it!  
> Written for Tifa Week!  
> Also, first time writing these characters, so go easy on me! XD  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Tifa wasn't much of a 'birthday' person.

Sure, she probably was during her childhood, but ever since her mother died, nothing felt right about them anymore. It had gotten lonely with her father, especially when all of her friends had left for Midgar, leaving her with no one. She had grown up celebrating her birthday surrounded by loved ones; anything but that felt wrong to her.

She was certainly not up for celebrating anything when she made it to Midgar. From that point, everything she loved was gone: her father, Zangan, her friends. All of them. Even when she was taken in by Barret and AVALANCHE, it still took her a long time to open up to them.

One day, Barret and Jessie had randomly asked her when her birthday was. Tifa, not really thinking much of it, had answered them. To her surprise, the whole of AVALANCHE had thrown her little party at the bar. Given the last year of her life being absolutely atrocious, Tifa wasn't too enthusiastic at first. But after seeing how they had welcomed them into their little family so quickly, it had become the best birthday she had in a while.

Even with that, Tifa had a lot more fun and satisfaction when she threw parties rather than having them herself. It always lifted her heart to throw a party for Marlene with all her friends or sharing drinks with Jessie, Biggs, Wedge and Barret. Being with them made everything easier.

Of course, that all fell apart because of ShinRa taking everything away from her again. It seemed that sorrow had a knack for following her everywhere she went. All her life, people had been taken from her. No matter what she did, she could never seem to be happy.

That was why she was grateful for the family she had found in Edge. They had their own demons to face in the last two years but something told Tifa that they were on the verge of finally living a happy life.

However, nothing could've prepared Tifa for Marlene and Denzel to barrel into her room and jump onto her bed, Cloud trailing in behind them. "Happy Birthday, Tifa!", they both cheered.

Tifa laughed and sat up in her bed as they both hugged her tightly.

"Here, we made you this!", Marlene said and handed her a bright pink card covered completely in glitter.

Tifa opened the card, smiling brightly at the drawings and messages from both of them. "Thank you, I love it," she said as she enveloped the both of them in another hug.

Cloud gave a smile and sat down next to her, his own card in hand. "Happy birthday."

Tifa smiled as she took it. "Thanks."

"So, what have you got planned today?"

She huffed. "Nothing, because I've got to open up the bar and-"

"Wrong," Cloud interrupted. 

"What?"

He gave a wry smile. "We're closed for the day."

Tifa stuttered. "Why would you do that?"

"Because we've got guests coming over."

_What?_ "Huh?"

Denzel jumped off the bed. "Come on, get dressed!"

Marlene jumped off after him and pulled at Tifa's arm. "Yeah, daddy and the others will be here soon!"

Barret... and the rest of their friends? Were coming here?

Tifa had thought she would be over the moon at the prospect at seeing all of their friends again, but they hadn't seen each other all that much in the last two years. To be honest, Tifa didn't know how to feel. That thought stayed with her, even as she was happily chatting with Yuffie, Nanaki and Cid. Their interactions rolled naturally like they always did but as she stood in the middle of the bar with a drink in her hands, the thought was always in the back of her mind. It was like she couldn't quite accept that things had changed amongst them.

Given how much their group had drifted apart, Tifa didn't know what to expect, seeing them all in one room together. It reminded her of the weeks they all spent on the road together, chatting excitedly and cracking jokes with each other. It would've been perfect, if it wasn't for the absence of one person (Tifa banished that thought as quickly as it came).

Trying to let herself enjoy the moment, Tifa walked up to the counter to pour herself another drink. Cloud was sitting on one of the stools, sipping at his own drink. As Tifa went to reach for another glass, his attention was grabbed by the bracelet around her wrist.

Cloud choked on his drink.

He coughed and sputtered it out, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Tifa heard his coughing and immediately went to his side. "Cloud! What's wrong?"

When Cloud finally finished coughing, his face seemed to go bright red. He looked down at the floor nervously.

From across the room, Yuffie laughed. "What's the matter, Cloud? Cat got your tongue?"

Cloud frowned at Yuffie but didn't say anything as Reeve and Vincent quietly reprimanded her. Tifa rolled her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Your bracelet..."

Tifa looked down at her wrist and then back at Cloud. And then began to laugh. "Really? You only just noticed?"

Cloud shrugged. "Sorry, it's not like I pay attention to if someone is wearing a bracelet of all things."

"Cloud." Tifa held up her wrist. "I've always worn this."

His eyes widened. "Wh-Why?"

Tifa smiled warmly and gently took him by the hand. "Because it was the best gift I had ever gotten."

* * *

_This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea. This is a_ really _bad idea._

The same thought surged through Cloud’s mind as he approached Tifa’s house. Mr Lockhart had left not too long ago, so this was probably his only chance to do this.

To wish Tifa happy birthday.

Not only was it her birthday, but it was her first birthday without her mother. The last thing he wanted Tifa to feel was that she was alone. However, her father had sternly warned him from going anywhere near Tifa, since he had blamed him for her fall off Mount Nibel.

Cloud didn’t really argue with that. It was his fault he didn’t reach Tifa in time…

Even so, if Tifa’s father didn’t want him to speak to her, he figured that he could at least wish her a happy birthday.

That is if she didn’t blame him herself.

Cloud gripped the little box that contained Tifa’s gift tightly as he reached her front door. He let out a shaky breath. The worst-case scenario he played out in his head ended with her throwing the gift straight back in his face but he figured it could end up worse.

But what if it didn’t? What if Tifa really did appreciate his gift? Well, there was no way of knowing until he actually tried. Swallowing his nerves, he lightly knocked at the door.

“Just a minute!”, he heard a bubbly voice reply.

He had barely spoken to Tifa since her accident on Mount Nibel but hearing her approaching footsteps made him regret almost every choice he made leading up to this moment. Cloud had no idea if Tifa remembered him being up on the mountain with her or if her father or her friends had told her. The fact that everyone blamed him for her accident made him nervous that they told her that.

His heart practically jumped out of his chest as she opened the door with a bright smile on her face. He expected her to slam the door after seeing his face but she looked surprised more than anything.

“Oh, hi Cloud!”, she said, her smile unfaltering.

“Uh, hi, Tifa.” He scratched the back of his head. “How’ve you been?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been better.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My dad’s grounded me for going up to Mount Nibel.”

Did she… not know?

“That’s stupid!”, Cloud blurted out before he could stop himself. “You- You got… hurt, he can’t punish you for that.”

“Try telling him that.”

He grimaced slightly. “I’d rather not.”

Tifa chuckled and leaned against the doorway. “What about you? I barely see you around anymore.”

“I’ve just been pretty busy,” he tried to brush off coolly.

“Oh, okay.” She sounded almost disappointed. “Anyway, what’re you doing here?”

Cloud felt the heat rise to his cheeks when he was confronted with what he came here for. He was a little apprehensive about doing this in the first place but Tifa’s friendliness eased his nerves a little bit.

Deciding to just get it over with, he held out the little black box. “Here.”

Tifa took the box, clearly confused. She stared down at it for a few seconds before lifting the lid.

“Happy birthday, Tifa,” he said shyly.

Tifa opened the box. In a split second, her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. “Wh… Cloud?!”

She took the gift between her thumb and forefinger and gently lifted it out of the box to examine it. It was a chain bracelet adorned with little silver chocobos. Cloud had browsed the market stalls a few days prior, trying to find a suitable gift for Tifa but nothing seemed to catch his eye. However, when he saw the chocobo charm bracelet, he figured that it was cute and would be the sort of thing Tifa would like. It made for a nice birthday gift (and also a good “sorry I messed up and got you hurt” gift, but Cloud kept that to himself).

He was pretty confident that Tifa would like it though her stunned silence wasn’t doing him any favours.

When Tifa finally found it in herself to form a sentence, she stuttered out, “Cloud… it’s beautiful! You didn’t have to get me anything!”

Cloud tried to shrug it off. “It was nothing. Just wanted to, uh, get you something nice…”

Tifa held Cloud’s gaze for several moments before smiling softly. She looked back down at her gift. “I love it. Thank you so much, Cloud.”

“No problem.”

“Help me put it on.” She held out the bracelet to Cloud.

He felt his throat close up with nervousness as he let Tifa place the bracelet into his hand. Cloud struggled to open the clasp for a good ten seconds, not wanting to imagine how stupid he probably looked in front of her. Holding the bracelet from both ends, he placed it around Tifa’s wrist, which she held out expectantly. Not wanting to fumble around a second time, Cloud securely fastened the bracelet.

“All done,” he stated somewhat proudly. When he finally looked up at Tifa, he found his eyes meeting hers. To his surprise, her eyes had softened around the edges. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought they were glistening.

With that bright smile still on her face, Tifa looked from Cloud back down to the bracelet. “Thank you again, Cloud. I’ll take good care of it!”

Cloud blushed slightly but he gave a wide smile in response. “Glad to hear it.”

The two of them found each other sharing another silence. This exchange had gone better than Cloud had planned; he wanted to do something to brighten Tifa’s day and it seemed to do the job. For a while, Cloud had almost thought that they were… close. It felt natural talking to Tifa, as if they had been like this their entire lives.

However, Cloud knew that this moment wouldn’t last forever. After today, the two of them would just go back to the way they were: Tifa with her group of friends and Cloud remaining on the side-line.

His smile fell at that realisation and he lowered his head. “So, uh… I hope you- enjoy the rest of your birthday.”

Tifa also lost her smile. “Oh, yeah… thanks…”

“I’ll see you around, Tifa.”

“Yeah…”

Reluctantly, Cloud began to descend the steps that lead up to Tifa’s house. A small naive part of him had hoped that this would have opened him up to Tifa, to show her that they could be close, that they could be friends.

What a dumb thought. He would never be good enough for Tifa. He was surprised she even accepted his gift.

Cloud glumly trudged down with that thought ingrained in his mind and as he was about to reach the bottom of the steps-

“Cloud!”

Tifa’s sharp voice made him freeze on the spot, as if he had imagined it. He immediately whipped around and was bewildered to see Tifa quickly rushing down the steps after him. A million reasons as to why Tifa would be coming over to him raced through his head but he had no time to focus on one as she stopped directly next to him.

“I- um…”, she trailed off.

The silence hung between them once again. Tifa bit her lip and shuffled her weight between her feet.

Was she nervous?

“What’s up?”

Tifa looked like she was mulling over her thoughts. “Are you up to anything today?”

Wait, where was she going with this?

Cloud looked down at the ground. “Ah, nothing much,” he replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “Why?”

“Do you- Do you want to go into town with me?”, she asked meekly.

“Wh-What?”

Tifa shook her hands. “Don’t feel like you have to say yes or anything! I was planning on heading out and I figured… if you wanted to come with.”

Was Tifa… asking him to hang out with her?!

If this was any other day, Cloud would’ve jumped at the chance to hang out with her. However, given the reputation he had garnered over the weeks, people seeing the two of them together wouldn’t do either of them any favours. Besides, it was Tifa’s birthday. Why would she want to spend it with him? Not to mention, if her father found out he was anywhere near her, he would be as good as dead.

“What about your father? Aren’t you grounded?” The last thing he wanted to do was get Tifa into any more trouble.

However, Tifa didn’t seemed to be fazed by that. “It’s fine, I’ll be home before he knows it! Besides, it’s my birthday, I think I’m allowed to have some fun!”

Cloud managed a chuckle. “You have a point there.”

Tifa giggled back. “So, is that a yes?” Her eyes shone expectantly at him.

The arguments for and against raged inside of his mind as he took it all in. He really didn’t want Tifa to get into trouble with her father again but she looked so happy when he gave her her gift. And if a walk around town was all she wanted to keep her spirits high, who was Cloud to refuse?

Cloud smiled at her. “Yeah.”

Tifa’s smile reach up to her eyes. “Great! Then let’s go!”

She enthusiastically took Cloud’s hand and he let her gently lead him through the town. Cloud lowered his eyes to the ground when he saw some of the kids had caught sight of them. But when he looked back up, all he could see was Tifa’s elated expression. Cloud found himself smiling even more than before.

Who cared what everyone else thought? If Tifa wanted to hang out with him, who was he or anyone else to say no?

He and Tifa may not have been good friends, but this seemed like a pretty good start.

* * *

Cloud’s face didn’t seem to lose its blush. “I don’t see why you would think that…”

“Cloud.” Tifa sounded hurt. “Why wouldn’t I love it?”

He looked back down at the floor and then looked around the bar. When he saw that no one was looking at them, he slipped his hand into hers and led her outside. He sat down on the front steps and Tifa followed suit.

“I don’t know. Maybe I thought you deserved better than the scrawny outcast back in Nibelheim.”

“Cloud!”

“Let me finish. Back when we were kids, I thought I was good enough for you. But at the same I time, I thought I wasn’t.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know how to explain it. No one liked me, I never fitted in. Why would you want to spend time with someone like that?”

“ _Cloud!_ ”, she snapped. “Do you even hear yourself? Why would you think you’re not good enough! Why does that even matter?”

“Tifa-”

She took him by the shoulders. “No. Listen to me. You’re my closest friend. I couldn’t imagine anyone else in our family.” She gripped his shirt tightly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to us. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

“I-” Tifa gave him a stern look before he could say anything else. “Thanks.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “So, you’ll drop this ‘good enough’ nonsense?”

“Maybe.”

“Then I’ll keep reminding you until you do,” she huffed.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

“Still, you deserve a better gift.”

She rolled her eyes. “Cloud, this is my favourite gift. Nothing will change that.”

He smirked. “That a challenge?”

Tifa frowned. “What makes you say that?”

Cloud took Tifa’s hand, staring longingly into her eyes. Tifa had a hard time figuring out what he was thinking until he leaned in. He gently placed his lips onto hers and, without thinking, Tifa welcomed it. Only a second had passed before Tifa leaned into the kiss herself. She had never expected to have Cloud this close to her. She never thought that he would do this one day. The warm of his lips on hers was something that felt so foreign, yet so natural at the same time. Tifa was content as long as she had Cloud by her side.

She was so used to everything going wrong being taken from her but now, Tifa finally felt like she was free from it all. As long as they had each other, they could overcome anything. And they would never let each other go.

The two of them broke apart almost reluctantly and rested their foreheads together. Despite the kiss being gentle, Tifa’s heart was racing.

“That a better gift?”, Cloud asked.

Tifa smiled shyly. “A little.”

Cloud found himself smiling back. “I love you,” he said without hesitation.

Her breath hitched. “I love you too,” she whispered back. She raised a hand to place on his cheek. “And listen to me. You _are_ good enough. Don’t you _dare_ think otherwise, or I’ll have to knock some sense into you.”

Cloud nudged his forehead against hers. “You got it.”

They held their gazes for a long time. When they finally broke apart, Tifa coughed. “We should head back inside; the others will probably notice we’re gone.”

“Too late for that!”, Barret’s voice boomed from inside the bar.

The two of turned around to see the group pressed up against the front window, all of them smiling widely. Even Marlene and Denzel were waving excitedly at them.

“Oh, that was so beautiful! I think I’m gonna cry!”, Yuffie cried exaggeratedly.

Tifa’s jaw dropped. “How much of that did you-”

Cid clasped his hands together. “Oh, we heard enough!”

Cloud groaned and turned his back to the window as everyone laughed. “Is it okay if I kill them?”

Tifa laughed and playfully pushed his shoulder. “Not on my birthday!”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Tifa!  
> (Also, I’m now on Twitter @XVsylleblossoms, I retweet cloti and ffxv lol)


End file.
